


The System is Broken (We Can Fix It)

by DivineBlackDragon



Series: The System is Broken (A Naruto Fanfiction Series) [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: ...bipolar Kakashi?, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto), BAMF Gai, BAMF Hatake Kakashi, BAMF everyone, Bullying, Canon-Typical Violence, Character Development, Chuunin Exams, Currently all my works are on haitus sorry, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto) Feels, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 (Naruto)-centric, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hatake Kakashi is a Troll, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, I meant it, I somehow gave team 7 depression, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jounin are crazy, Kakashi doesn’t walk he teleports, Liberties taken crafting team 7s home lives, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Minor Character Death, Mother hen Tenzo, Narutos got issues even tho it’s not obvious, No Bashing, Oops, Parental Hatake Kakashi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Sasuke is an antisocial introvert, Self-Esteem Issues, Slight worldbuilding, Socially awkward Kakashi and tenzo, Survivor Guilt, Team Feels, Team Fluff, Team as Family, Teambuilding, Tenzo is kakashi’s Minder, Therapy, Timeline is screwed up, When I said BAMF parental gai, and gaara somehow, hes also blunt af, honestly thats more gai, kakashi adopts team 7, sometimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-04-07 11:26:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14079882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivineBlackDragon/pseuds/DivineBlackDragon
Summary: A happier canon-divergent AU of The System is Broken (So It’ll Break You).Whispers can unite as much as they tear apart.Team Seven makes an effort and changes for the better, and with it, the shinobi world.(Breaks canon after Wave Mission and before Chuunin Exams.)





	1. Sakura

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I planned this to be a one-shot but that's not happening so...okay.
> 
> I'm trying out a different writing style, here, rather than keeping to the drabble format I used for The System is Broken (So It'll Break You).
> 
> I'm largely using this fic to improve my ability to write in character and writing character development, so I've made it a challenge for each sentence to (in some way) show something about the character. If I succeed, great. If not, oh well.
> 
> On the use of Japanese words: I'll be using honorifics, and all names will be in their Japanese form except Rock Lee's. Naruto's verbal tic and the various insults from the anime/manga (such as dobe and teme) will be used. However, words like kaa-san and okaeri and the like, will not be. The reason for this is that not all readers appreciate reading all the foreign vocabulary, which makes it harder for them to understand. Jutsu names will also mostly be in English with a few exceptions like the Chidori and Rasengan. The purpose of this is because more people are familiar with the Chidori being, well, the Chidori instead of being called One Thousand Birds.
> 
> Don't own Naruto. Not making money off of this.
> 
> WARNING: PTSD, VIOLENCE, SOME RUDE LANGUAGE AND MENTIONS OF ABUSE.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura’s life as a part of Team 7.

"Just let me know if you need anything else, Shinobi-san," the old customer said to Sasuke, who was less than impressed.

"Of course we will, Kiharu-san!" Kakashi-sensei cut in cheerfully.

The old woman turned away from Sasuke to face the jounin, lips thinning into a decidedly less warm expression. "I'll be going then," she said, and shuffled back into the house.

"Well!" Kakashi-sensei said in the same insincere cheerful tone, clapping his hands together, "Looks like it's back to work, my cute little minions!"

Sakura sighed. Naruto's already somewhat strained grin faltered. Sasuke scowled at the ground.

"Well, go on—the weeds won't pull themselves, you know."

The three trudged over to the garden plot, both Naruto and Sasuke getting to work immediately.  
  
Sakura hesitated, standing right on the edge of the garden plot.

"Something wrong, Sakura-chan?" Kakashi-sensei was suddenly standing behind her, hands in his pockets and eyes half-lidded but sharp. His orange book was nowhere in sight.

"Um, nothing Sensei!" Sakura squeaked, and Kakashi-sensei hummed.

"Well if Sakura-chan says so." And then he was back under a tree, bright orange novel in hand looking all the world as if he'd been there the whole time.

Sakura's gaze turned back to the loose brown earth and green leaves. She sucked in a breath, and stepped into the garden plot gingerly. Bending down, she tugged at the end of one of the suspicious-looking plants. The top part of the stem snapped in half. Frowning, Sakura crouched lower to the ground, and pulled from a spot farther down the stem. The plant pulled taut, before snapping again, this time at the base. Sakura looked from the stem and leaves she had in her hand to the white stub just barely poking out of the ground. She grimaced.

From the other side of the garden, she heard Naruto call out, "Yes! Twenty-three! Take that Sasuke! And I even got the roots this time, too!"

Steeling herself, she squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Breathing out, her eyes snapped open to glare at the stub. She could do this, Shannaro!

Sakura reached into the dirt, grabbing hold of as much of the leftover stem and root as she could, and pulled. With a pop, the plant roots flew out of the ground, chunks of dirt flinging into the air, and Sakura rocked back on her heels unsteadily. Getting to her feet again, she marched over to the bin placed by the garden plot for the pulled up weeds, and dropped the roots in with a determined finality. For a split second, Sakura thought she felt something akin to the feeling she'd experienced when she’d found out she was at the top of Iruka-sensei’s class in academics.

Sakura looked back up—Wait! Sasuke-kun was walking towards her—and then right past her, dumping an armful of plants into the bin.

“Thirty-six, dobe,” Sasuke called over his shoulder to Naruto. He completely ignored Sakura’s presence as he turned and made his way back to his spot in the garden.

Sakura’s mood came crashing down again as she glanced back at the already a quarter-filled bin. Naruto and Sasuke had made a substantial amount of headway, considering the three had only been pulling weeds for a minute and a half.

Sakura turned back to the corner she had begun working at, and stared at the spot she had pulled the lone weed from. Just one little spot of cleared out dirt in a field of green. She’d done so little compared to the boys. In fact, she realized with a flash of horror, if she continued at the rate that she did, Sasuke-kun would end up doing all the work himself! (Well, and Naruto-baka.) She—She couldn’t have that! Sasuke-kun would hate her if she made him do all the work! Hastily, she rushed back over to the spot she was weeding, and crouched down next to her patch of weeds. With renewed fervor Sakura tugged at the roots of the weeds around her, dirt flying up and sticking to her red dress.

Before long, she was kneeling next to a decent-sized pile of green next to her and was surrounded by only the brown earth and garden plants.

A content smile tugged at Sakura's lips as she gathered the weeds up in her arms to transport to the bin. A satisfaction she rarely felt filled her when she looked at the large area clear of any weeds. She stood, dirt that had still clung to the plants raining down, and tiredly walked over to the bin. It was already over half-way full, but as she dumped her load into the bin she couldn't help but notice that it had filled up quite a bit more with her contribution. Practically skipping her way back to the garden plot, she passed by Naruto and Sasuke, who were still in fierce competition with each other, though Sasuke seemed to still be trying to pretend that he wasn't.

"101!"

"Hn. I have 120."

"Hah! Three-in-one! I'm at 104, Teme! I'll beat you in no time!"

"125."

"Hey! No fair!" Naruto dove for the nearest plant.

Sakura's eyes widened. "No! Naruto, don't!"

Too late. Sakura winced. A tomato plant dangled from Naruto's hands, pulled easily from the ground. Kakashi-sensei was next to Naruto in an instant, still looking as casual as ever.

"Naruto. Why don't you put that back in the ground, very carefully. Wouldn't want to _fail_ the _mission_ , after all!" Sakura couldn't help but think that something was just slightly off about the way Kakashi-sensei spoke, though she wasn't exactly sure what it was.

Naruto gingerly put the plant back into the ground, smiled very, very widely and said, "There! Now it's like it never happened!"

"You idiot," Sasuke muttered, "that's not how you replant it."

"Well let's see you try it, huh, Teme?!"

Sakura wanted to roll her eyes. She'd never even gardened before and even she knew that you needed to cover the roots with dirt for it to survive.

"Hn. Tomato plants are fragile, dobe." Sasuke uncharacteristically didn't react to the taunt, and used the loose dirt from around the plant to try to cover the roots.

"Well, I see you three have it handled," Kakashi-sensei's eye curved up in his signature suspicious eye-smile, and he poofed away, back under the tree once more.

Naruto watched sheepishly as Sasuke successfully replanted the tomato plant. Sakura frowned. What if Naruto-baka pulled up a garden plant again?

"Naruto-baka!" she lectured, "Don't pull up the garden plants! You need to be more careful, or we'll fail the mission and we won't get paid! Even worse, it might get put on our record that we failed a D-rank! Nobody wants to hire ninjas that fail D-rank missions!"

"Eh, but Sakura-chan," Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, still smiling widely, "the weeds and the food plant-things all look the same!"

Sakura huffed. "No they don't! Tomato plants have different leaf shapes and stems from the weeds! And so do the other garden plants!”

"They do?"

"Here!" Sakura plopped onto the ground, pulling Naruto down beside her. "See? The leaves, they're not round and large like this weed is, and—"

 

The sun was already setting by the time Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke had finished weeding. It had taken over thirty minutes just to get Naruto to be able to differentiate the weeds and all the garden plants, and Sasuke had gone back to work almost immediately after he finished taking care of the uprooted tomato plant. Kakashi-sensei, had, of course, done nothing but read all day.

Dirty, tired, and subdued, Sakura and the boys let the customer know that the job was finally done, and trudged to the Mission Desk to collect their pay. Kakashi-sensei disappeared just a minute later, with a, "Don't forget to file your mission reports tomorrow, cute little genin!”

Sakura only realized she had forgotten to ask Sasuke out on a date when she was already halfway home and ready to collapse where she stood. Well, she thought exhaustedly, she could always ask him tomorrow morning. It wasn't like he was magically going to hook up with any of his other fan girls overnight, after all.

Sakura didn't notice Ami until she had already passed the girl. In fact, she probably wouldn't have noticed Ami and her goons, Kasumi and Fuki, at all if the bully hadn't decided to call out to her.

"Hey! Forehead!"

Sakura suddenly felt an uncontrollable rage well up in her. She shoved it down, years of practice making it easy. Slowly, she opened her fists and lifted her head from its instinctively lowered position. She started forward again. It was too late, though. Ami had definitely noticed her faltering.

"Forehead, I'm talking to you!"

Sakura kept walking.

"Wow, Sakura-chan, you look more ugly than usual. Is that dirt on your dress? Ew!"

Suddenly, Sakura could feel the sweat and dirt caked on her skin and the way her hair fell in her eyes, looking and feeling knotted, tangled and greasy. The memory of the many times she had knelt in the dirt and wiped her hands on the sides of her dress after pulling a particularly large weed flashed through her mind.

"And your hitai-ate! I can't _believe_ you used your hitai-ate as a _headband_ , _Sa_ - _ku_ - _ra_. Didn't Ino-chan give you that red headband back when you two were actually _friends_? I wonder what happened to it? Do you still want Ino-chan to be your friend, Sakura-chan? Is that why your hitai-ate looks like a headband? Well, I can't imagine why you'd still want to be friends with Ino-chan. Everyone knows Ino-chan  _hates_  Sakura-chan."

Sakura stopped. "That's not why I wear it like this."

No. She shouldn't have replied; Ami was a shark who smelled blood in the water. Sakura didn't turn around, but she knew Ami was smirking.

"It's just, I thought you'd _want_ to wear a hitai-ate the right way, since it'll help cover up that big forehead of yours. Too bad it won't cover up your hair too. Then nobody'd notice! Wait—maybe not."

Oh no. It was going to be one of _those_ days.

"I mean, it's just so obvious you're a...what Mom says all the time: _a bastard._ "

Kasumi and Fuki gasped in mock-horror.

"Shut up."

"My mom was talking to the other moms the other day about how only red-light district people have  _odd hair._  Like blue and green and even _pink_ , Sakura-chan. Did you know that? Just like _you._ I wonder who your _real_ parents are, Sakura- _chan_?"

"I'm _not_ a bastard!" 

"But Mom said that your dad and mom are always mad at each other. Maybe it's 'cause they have to take care of _you_."

"No it's not! It's just because he's always busy!" Sakura shouted, and her eyes screwed up tight as she tried to hold back tears.  _Don't cry, Sakura, don't cry! She'll tease you about that, too!_

"Maybe he just doesn't want to live with  _you._ I _definitely_ wouldn't want to be around _Sakura_ - _chan_  if _I_ was her dad."

Sakura-chan whirled around to face Ami and her friends. "At least I'm a genin! You're still in the academy, so I'm _better_ _than_ _you_!"

And then Sakura ran. She dashed down the street, pink hair whipping behind her and tears streamed from her eyes. She stumbled, even as she heard Ami holler from behind her—"At least my mom and dad don't hate me like _yours_ do!"

She covered her ears with her hands and sobbed. Sakura was almost to the end of the street, where a small, lonely house with characters that spelled HARUNO nailed next to the door stood. She scrambled for the doorknob and tried to wipe away her tears, struggling to see with her blurred vision. The door swung open and Sakura was in the house with her back against the door in another instant, gasping for air through snot and tears.

"Sakura? Is that you?"

Sakura sniffed and scrubbed at her face furiously. Her mother wouldn't see her cry.

"Sakura?" Her mother called again.

"I'm—I'm home," Sakura forced the words out, unsuccessfully preventing her voice from breaking.

"Welcome home. Dinner is on the table."

"Yes, Mom." Sakura pushed off the door, fumbled as she slipped off her ninja sandals, and staggered to the washroom to clean her dirty hands and face. She leaned over the sink and stared at the mirror listlessly. Her cheeks were stained with tears, her eyes red and swollen. Her face was splotchy and slightly sunburned and her hair was a tangled and greasy mess. The black rings of dirt under her fingernails stood out like a plague that was growing over her skin.

Sakura blinked away the last of her tears, and painstakingly began to clean her hands. The dirt was scrubbed away little by little, leaving clean but lightly calloused palms littered with tiny knicks and scars from her few years of practice with kunai and shuriken. She traced one of the largest scars lightly, before clenching her eyes shut and splashing water over her face. She did not bother with her hair or dirt-smeared dress, and departed to the kitchen, where her mother stood, waiting, as she always did, in her pristine qipao, with perfectly done make-up and hair. The only indication of her age were the wrinkles beginning to form on the sides of her mouth, which was currently turned down in a stern frown.

"Well? Sit down, Sakura."

"Yes, Mom."

The stir fry her mother had made was the perfect balance of carbohydrates and nutrients, as always, and the portions were just as small. Sakura's mother was very particular about the food her family ate, and this meal was no exception. Dinner was a quiet event, with only the clinking of chopsticks filling the silence. Only when Sakura had finally finished her meal, did her mother, who had been watching her solemnly, deigned to speak.

"Sakura, I've been thinking."

Sakura stared at the wood grain of the polished table.

"Sakura," her mother said again, eyes flickering up to her headband, then back to her. "I know you plan to become a Chuunin, and maybe even a Jounin, but, are you sure that becoming a field shinobi is right for you?"

They'd had this same conversation last week, Sakura remembered.

"It's just," her mother continued after a prolonged silence, "I think you'd be much happier, working as a Career Genin like your father does now, and like I once did. Or maybe an academy teacher—or archive shinobi!"

"I chose to work in the field, Mom."

"Yes, I know you did, but the other tracks are much safer—and it's not to late to switch! You haven't been promoted as a field-specialist Chuunin yet, there's still a chance. We can file a transfer at any time—” Sakura's mother cut herself off. "We're just, your father and I, we're just worried about you, you know. Your father's mother and my own father both were field shinobi, and they...they didn't have very long lives."

"I know, Mom."

"Yes, you do," Her mother smiled sadly, "I just wish you'd never gone to the academy at all. If you'd gone to civilian school, you could do whatever you'd like with much less danger, and your father and I wouldn’t have to worry.

Oh well, what’s done is done, now, I suppose. But! It’s not too late to consider your future, Sakura-chan. You can still live a long and happy life with a nice husband and children yet. Of course, you’d have to leave the village to find a good, well-off, suitable merchant husband, what with those pesky rumors—"

Sakura would _not_ marry some weak, controlling, foreign _civilian_ husband, _Shannaro!_

"You're right, Mother. Goodnight."

Sakura abruptly stood and left the room, ignoring her mother's attempt to call her back. She needed a shower. 

 

—EXTRA: Ami—

"At least my parents don't hate me like yours do!" Ami called after Haruno Sakura angrily. The other girl stumbled, but didn't stop running away. "Coward!" She shouted again, angrily. Ami huffed and turned back to her friends. "C'mon, let's go to the park or something."

Fuki mumbled something.

" _What,_ Fuki?" Ami snapped irritably.

"Wha—What's a bastard?"

"I don't know, but it's probably something _really_ _bad._ "

"Is Sakura-chan really a bastard?" Fuki asked doubtfully.

"Don't be stupid, Baka-Fuki. Mom and Dad and all their friends say so when they visit," Ami said.

"They're adults, so they're probably right," Kasumi observed, "at least, that's what my dad always says."

"I'm bored," Ami said finally, "forget about Sakura- _chan_. Let's go do something fun."

The three girls wandered off down the street, talking and laughing as if there was nothing at all wrong with the world.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Naruto and possibly Sasuke!


	2. Naruto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto’s life as an orphan kyuubi jinchuuriki.

Naruto’s cheeks were beginning to hurt.

It’d been awhile since his facial muscles had last been this sore.

His grin widened.

The customer had hired Team Seven to babysit their two little hellions—one was only a year old, and the other three.

The problem was that the customer hadn’t known who she’d hired until Naruto’s team arrived.

 

 The scorn on the civilian’s face has been familiar, but hurt no less.

The civilian hadn't seemed to like his team, either.

Was it because of him? He hoped not. He didn’t want to hurt his team with his reputation.

That thought hurt, too. Naruto shoved it down and turned his attention to the three-year-old he was supposed to be watching until the customer returned from her shopping trip.

 

”Hey! Don’t touch that, Dattebayo!”

 

The toddler dashed away, giggling madly as he clutched tightly onto _one of Naruto’s kunai._

“Come back here!”

Naruto raced after the kid. The toddler went faster, but there was a toy on the floor and suddenly the toddler was _tripping with the kunai pointed at his tiny chest—_

 

Somebody screamed.

 

And then Kakashi-sensei was firmly catching the kid in his arms, plucking the kunai out of the toddler’s hands. He tossed it to Naruto, who fumbled with it for a moment before pocketing it. 

Not a second later, the toddler was being scooped out of Naruto's sensei's arms and into the civilian mother's, who must have returned early from her shopping trip.

"Ki-kun! Ki-kun, are you okay? Are you hurt?" The woman fussed, frantically checking her child over to reassure herself that the three-year-old had no injuries.

Naruto's stomach suddenly felt achingly empty, even though he  _knew_  he'd had an extra-big lunch today.

The civilian had shifted her son to her hip, evidently satisfied with her son's well-being. Her gaze swiveled around to aim an unsettlingly familiar glare at Naruto, one that reminded him of the days that he visited the playgrounds or the more popular shops and stalls in Konoha. The civilian opened her mouth angrily, and Naruto braced himself for the angry onslaught of poisoned words.

 

But the words never came, because suddenly Naruto's old, lazy, and easy-going sensei had turned into a looming giant, towering menacingly over everyone in the room. The civilian's eyes slowly drifted away from Naruto and towards Kakashi-sensei, mouth shutting with an audible 'click.'

As if waiting for that signal, Kakashi-sensei slouched again, shoving his hands into his pockets and eye drooping lazily. In the mutual silence, Naruto could easily hear the birds chirping and singing outside, and the faint buzz coming from the busy streets.

Turning his head to the open back door, he noticed Sakura-chan and Sasuke standing in the doorway, with the one-year-old baby girl resting on Sakura's hip. Even as Naruto watched, the baby began to squirm in Sakura-chan's grip, and Naruto's pink-haired teammate gently lowered the toddler on the ground. For a moment, the one-year-old gripped onto Sakura-chan's leg to steady herself, before finally letting go and stumbling her way to her mother, babbling happily. The civilian picked up her other child with little difficulty, and shifted the one-year-old onto her other unoccupied hip. Holding both of her children seemed to return the civilian mother’s courage, and she relaxed even as she turned to Naruto's sensei.

"Get out. You're no longer needed here, shinobi-san."

"Maa, maa," Kakashi-sensei held up his hands in a gesture of surrender, "I suppose we'll be going, then."

A beat. Nobody moved. The civilian's jaw was clenched tightly, reminding Naruto of the days he and Hokage-Jiji wandered the village together on festival days, pretending that neither of them noticed the cold and stand-offish behavior of the civilians.

"I'm sure you and your...students...know where the door is," the civilian said, disdainful gaze briefly sweeping back over Naruto and his teammates, before returning to Kakashi-sensei.

"Of course, of course; come along, my cute little genin." Kakashi-sensei was already heading towards the door.

Naruto hastily jogged to catch up, the teme and Sakura-chan following close behind. Team Seven collectively ignored the door slam behind them even as they continued to speed-walk to the end of the neighborhood road.

By the time Naruto’s team had reached the end of the street, Sakura-chan was red in the face and looked about ready to explode. The teme had also somehow ended up on the other side of Kakashi-sensei, which left Naruto as the closest person to the only female on Team Seven. Naruto, sensing Sakura-chan’s rising temper, inched carefully away from his crush.

it was no use, as Sakura-chan’s attention was almost immediately drain to him, and promptly blew up like an activated exploding tag.

”Naruto-baka! You don’t let babies play with weapons! They could hurt themselves! You should’ve been paying attention, you baka! Because you can’t even keep track of your kunai like every competent shinobi should, Okaze-san’ll tell all the other civilians about how it was _my_ team that almost killed her baby and then I won’t ever be able to be seen outside my house ever again—!”

”Calm down, Sakura-chan,” Kakashi-sensei cut in in a painstakingly fake upbeat voice, “I’m sure Naruto-kun won’t make such a big mistake next time. I’m sure this whole thing’ll all blow over eventually. Civilians are fickle like that.”

Sakura-chan did _not_ calm down.

”Blow over!?  _Blow over?!_ This will not just _blow over!_ Okaze-san will tell all her neighbors, friends, and famiy in Konoha about Team Seven and how Haruno-san’s pink-haired daughter is on that team and it’s no wonder it’s such a failure of a team if the little prostitute’s daughter is on it and it will be all your fault, Naruto-baka! I—I h— _hate_ this team! I wish you weren’t my teammates!“ 

Naruto flinched. Kakashi-sensei froze. Sasuke’s eyes widened.

Sakura-chan slapped a hand over her mouth. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she spun, racing away from Naruto, Sasuke-teme, and Kakashi-sensei.

Naruto made to go after her. She didn’t mean it, right? Teams were supposed to be family! Hokage-jiji had _said_ that your team was your family. Sakura couldn’t hate them!

Kakshi-sensei pulled Naruto back, firmly clasping a hand over his mouth to stop him from calling out to Sakura-chan.

”Naruto. Don’t.” He said softly.

”But, but Sensei!” Naruto protested, “Sakura-chan said she hated us!”

”She probably just needs time to cool down. The mission was trying for all of us. Why don’t you two go home—we’ll turn in the reports and collect the pay tomorrow.”

”...Alright, Sensei.” Naruto shoved his hands in his pockets, and began to trudge away from the teme and Kakashi-sensei. Behind him, he could hear Sasuke-teme also begin to walk home. He didn’t hear Kakashi-sensei, but he knew that Sensei was probably already gone.

 

* * *

  

The way to Naruto’s dingy apartment cut through some of the busier streets in Konoha.

 

Naruto resolutely ignored the two-foot birth the civilians gave him, and the heavy stares in his direction. At least, he thought to himself optimistically, they were looking at him at all, which was more than he could say for when he was younger.

He was careful not to get too close to any store fronts as he walked, as having the shop owners pointedly come out to guard the front of their stores and eye him down whenever he even _looked_ like he was considering entering was always a somewhat discomfiting experience.

 

By the time he'd reached his apartment building, the last sliver of the blinding sun was peeking out over the horizon, highlighting the graffiti-ed walls and grungy path leading to the buildling's door. Naruto promptly ignored the doorway and jumped up to the roof of the nearest building, bounding up with chakra-boosted leaps up to his window. As he did every night he didn't have to use the stairs to get to his apartment, Naruto spared a brief moment to feel incredibly thankful and relieved that Kakashi-sensei had taught them how to travel across buildings using chakra. It had been quite a few months since his neighbors had last been given a chance to yell, swear, or throw beer bottles at him.

Humming loudly to himself to fill the emptiness, Naruto hopped into his tiny kitchen to microwave a cup of ramen. Since Team Seven had not been able to collect their mission pay from the D-Ranks they had done today, and because once you were a genin you were no longer eligible for any shinobi orphan funds, Naruto would not be able to afford his usual Ichiraku's quality ramen tonight.

 Still humming loudly, Naruto jumped up onto the counter to reach the tallest cupboards, and proceeded to count the amount of ramen cups he had saved up. There were twenty-three, and his next shopping trip wouldn’t be for at least another few weeks if he could help it, so Naruto could only have one of the tiny eighteen-ounce cups tonight.

Shutting the cabinet door, Naruto turned and slid back off the counter with a quiet “thump.” Naruto automatically winced. Anxiously, he glanced at the floor. It was only then that he remembered that the civilian that used to live underneath his apartment had moved out years ago, and there was no one on either side of his apartment to still make a fuss over the noise he’d made.

Straightening up again, Naruto eagerly placed the ramen cup in the microwave, and punched in the cooking time, before scrambling over to his kitchen table to wait. Bonelessly, the twelve-year-old boy collapsed onto his seat, resting his head in his arms. The apartment was quiet, except for the sound of Naruto’s humming. Naruto hummed louder. The sound echoed off the empty walls, filling it up and making it seem maybe just a little bit brighter. He stared at the glowing rectangle of the window into the microwave, feeling the seconds tick down. Naruto twitched. His foot tapped the ground twice. He drummed his fingers rapidly on the table top.

 

 **BEEP**.

 

Naruto popped up with all the enthusiasm of an excited puppy, and eagerly raced over to pull the microwave open. The light of the microwave spilled out over the darkened room, and Naruto wondered if this was what seeing Kami was like. He grabbed at the cup ramen and raced for chopsticks, yanking and slamming the drawers as he went. It took a minute to find a pair, as he dug through piles of junk and dusty, empty drawers Naruto hadn’t used in years.

”Yatta!” Naruto cheered to himself, holding up a package of wooden chopsticks he must’ve brought home one day from Ichiraku’s in triumph. 

The smell of salty, cooked ramen filled the air as the jinchuuriki peeled the plastic top off. A bright grin began to grow as Naruto sniffed his absolutely most favorite food, the delicious sent smelling of warmth and home and Teuchi-jiji and Ayame-neechan. Cup ramen wasn’t as good as Ichiraku’s, of course, but Naruto would take what he could get. He voraciously inhaled the pork-flavored noodles, slurping loudly.

 

Unfortunately, before Naruto knew it, the ramen was gone, and the comforting fire that had filled his chest to bursting had disappeared with it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, originally I was going to put both Naruto and Sasuke’s POVs in the same chapter, but I figured you guys deserved an update earlier than it would have been if I had included Sasuke, so yeah. Sasuke’s up in chapter 3, and Kakashi in 4.
> 
>  
> 
> AN EXPLANATION ON WHY SAKURA’S OUTBURST AFFECTED EVERYONE SO SEVERELY.  
> Shinobi are taught from a young age that a team is basically supposed to be your second family, the only people you can really trust, honestly, because at some point or another, you’ll have to put your life in their hands. Sasuke and Naruto are also orphans with no other support besides their team, almost, and Naruto’s constantly been told by the Hokage about how important teams are, and Kakashi has only stressed that further. Sasuke and Kakashi’s reactions will be explained...in their respective chapters.
> 
> (Also I am so sorry it took this long to update this chapter but I have good reasons and it is because not only did I get ahead of myself and start writing chapter 4 early (It’s halfway done) but I also have multiple (like five) other works, most of which are about Naruto characters or Kakashi, I’m trying to post or update.)


	3. Sasuke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke’s trauma, hurt, anger, and goal-orientated nature make a guest star appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the wonderful comments, guys! Your validation gives my writing LIFE.
> 
> (Don't think I didn't notice those of you who clicked the kudos button like ten times)
> 
> I hope I did Sasuke’s characterization justice. When I first started writing his POV, he ended up a lot more like Shikamaru than, well, Sasuke. It’s kinda what made this chapter take forever, because I just couldn’t characterize him correctly. But it’s all okay now, and hopefully I’ll make a lot more progress on it at a much faster pace! 
> 
> (Believe it or not I wrote this chapter in just the last 3 weeks even though it's been a year since I updated. Says a lot about my work ethic, heh heh)
> 
> Even tho it took forever to get around to writing, this chapter is almost longer than both previous chapters COMBINED. I had not expected this when I started writing, I swear. Well, Sasuke IS a complicated person, and Kakashi’s chapter had to start at the end of this one, so…
> 
> THANK YOU FALTERTH! YOUR INPUT WAS LIFE-SAVING!!! YOU'RE THE BEST BETA EVER. THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO U

Sasuke _screamed._

 

He heaved himself upright, chest rising and falling at a panicked rate, cold sweat glistening from the light of the moon filtered through the window. He ripped the smothering, choking blanket off, eyes searching the room wildly.

 

Paper-thin shoji walls, tatami mats, futon— _no Itachi_. He was safe, he told himself. _Itachi was_ **_here_** , said something far more primal. He was _here_ , _waiting, watching,_ **_deadly_**. _His wicked sharingan spinning, spinning,_ **_spinning_** _._

 

Sasuke blindly grabbed for the kunai he stashed under his pillow, refusing to turn away from the dark room. The cold metal was biting against his sweaty hand. Sasuke suppressed the resulting flinch. He almost dropped the weapon, before reflexively tightening his grip. His fist shook violently. Sasuke’s hand was already beginning to hurt.

The shadows loomed from the corners and Sasuke curled into himself defensively. From the corner of his eye, he saw a faint red glint. Sasuke whipped his head around, twitching violently. The red disappeared.

 

Sasuke could feel the whimper building up in his throat, but he shoved it down. It was too quiet, too dark, too peaceful, like _that_ night. He was freezing, he noticed, hair standing on end, though his shirt was damp from sweat. He scanned the room again, noting the window, still locked tightly shut, and the shoji door, still closed and blocked by the heaviest and largest piece of furniture Sasuke could find. _There was no logical reason_ , Sasuke rationalized, though his heart was hammering and his breathing was just a little too fast, _that Itachi could be in his closet_. He was perfectly safe. He was in Konoha, where Itachi was not. He was here in the Compound, with ANBU guarding him.

 

_Itachi had been ANBU._

 

He shivered.

 

Uchiha Sasuke would not be getting any more sleep tonight.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sunlight crested the forests of Konoha as morning fast approached. Songbirds chirped and flitted about in the early morning, and already civilians were up and and beginning to start their day. However, the missions of a shinobi took place throughout both day and night, no matter the hour. Many were only just heading to their homes for a rest.

 

In the empty Uchiha Compound, Sasuke finally released his grip on his kunai.

 

Mornings for Sasuke were never happy. Some mornings were late, always occurring after an attempt to avoid sleep, and the nightmares that always accompanied it. Other mornings were far, far too early. These mornings seemed to always involve being startled awake by a terrifying combination of memories and imagination. Few and far in-between were the mornings that involved no night terrors at all, and Sasuke woke up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

 

This was not one of those mornings.

 

Uncurling from his tense and defensive position, Sasuke carefully placed the kunai under his pillow and unsteadily got to his feet. He rubbed the circulation back into his legs, blinked tiredly, and remade his futon. He needed to wash the sheets and blankets later.

 

He shoved his feet into his slippers and padded over to his closet. He grabbed the only shirt and shorts still in good condition, with no rips, burns, and stains. He would need to repair the rest of them sometime soon. Absentmindedly, he also grabbed his hitai-ate and kunai pouch. Sasuke dressed quickly before unlatching the window and pushing it open.

 

Sasuke’s traditional home did not have multiple levels, unlike many of the buildings and homes in more populated areas. Instead it was built with wooden framing, paper walls, tatami mats and an engawa. Because the engawa was built to go all the way around the building, it was incredibly helpful for Sasuke, who used it to get anywhere in the house. It was, after all, the only way to always avoid the room with permanent dark stains on the floor, and the fear that accompanied them.

 

Sasuke climbed out of the window with practiced ease. He made his way around to the front of the house, again letting himself in using the window that led into the kitchen.  

 

Sasuke opened the fridge and, upon seeing its contents, frowned minutely. He’d have to make a shopping trip today; he was running low on eggs and tomatoes. Absentmindedly, he pulled two eggs, a tomato, and leftover natto and white rice out of the fridge.  As he always did, he carried his plate over to sit at the spot on the right of the end of the low table. He grimaced. Breakfast was as bland and lackluster as it had always been for the past five years, probably because Sasuke had never actually learned how to cook.

 

As he ate, he made a mental checklist of the objectives that he needed to complete that day. First, do the laundry and repair all the clothing that was damaged while training; second, buy food; third, complete his daily exercises and training routine; and fourth, turn in his mission report of the disaster of the D-Rank from yesterday to the mission desk.

 

Kakashi-sensei had never specified whether they were to turn in reports with the rest of the team or individually. Naturally, Sasuke would go to the mission desk by himself, and if they were, in fact, supposed to turn the reports in together, he would have a very good excuse for as to why he refused to wait for the rest of the team.

 

After breakfast, Sasuke proceeded to complete his self-assigned schedule, washing and repairing his clothes for most of the morning. Next on his to-do list was shopping, so Sasuke headed out to do one of his least favorite tasks of the day. He pocketed a bag of ryo, slipped on his sandals, and…

 

…hesitated.

 

The door loomed. Hazy shadows sprang up around him, stretching and reaching toward him. A black and red tint began to grow, spreading out and over him—

 

Sasuke blinked.

 

His hands were shaking, he realized irritably. He clenched them tightly. His chest felt tight.

 

Sasuke’s hands _wouldn’t stop shaking_.

 

A stab of anger flashed through him, hot and piercing in its suddenness. Why couldn’t he just walk outside? Why did he have to do this _every_ morning? Why couldn’t he do even this one thing that he had _already_ done a thousand times before? Why must Itachi _control every part of his life_?

 

…Why was he so weak?

 

Sasuke wanted to scream. Instead, he used the emotion to fuel him.

 

He pushed the door open and, with one swift and powerful step, he had arrived on the well-worn trail leading out of the compound.

 

It was silent. It always was.

 

A memory of bustling streets with the cries and laughs of children flashed across his mind.

 

Somewhere on the side of the empty road, a lone sparrow chirped.

 

Sasuke started walking.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The walk through the compound was agonizingly slow. Sasuke, however, refused to speed up. He would not show his fear.

 

His pride, as always, cost him. Ghosts lined the streets, and Sasuke valiantly ignored the blood staining the road in spots where bodies used to lay. The blood had, after all, been washed away by rain and mud years ago.

 

He could not look at the familiar houses he passed by, lest he see a bloody neighbor standing on their porch, still drinking their favorite tea, or hear the nostalgic sound of their laughter from somewhere out of sight, light and cheerful before turning into a scream.

 

The ghosts crowded him, pressing in until he couldn’t breathe, and always there was a lingering threat, a feeling of dread and terror lingering in the air.

 

Only after what seemed like hours of walking did he reach the end. As the gates of the compound came within his sight, his shoulders straightened and his gait became more purposeful. Sasuke did not go faster.

 

Upon finally exiting the compound, the tension that Sasuke had pretended didn’t exist finally fell away from him. As he ambled down to the marketplace of Konoha, more and more civilians roamed the streets as he neared the village center. Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets, avoiding any possible eye-contact with other city-goers. He hated seeing their eyes.

 

The street was still better than the compound.

 

Sasuke weaved through the crowd, not really watching where he was going. He didn’t need to, as most left a good meter of space between him and everyone else. Whether it was because they thought him cursed or thought him blessed, Sasuke didn’t know. He’d never bothered to find out.

 

His meandering path eventually led to the market street, where many vendors were set up selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and grains. A few vendors had a selection of fish native to the land of fire from various rivers and lakes. One of the more expensive vendors even sold fish from the sea. Sasuke ignored the stinking fish stalls, instead searching for the civilian farmer that always sold animal products on the far left side of the market.

 

When he finally spotted the stall, Sasuke maneuvered his way over, weaving between civilians and shinobi alike. The farmer he was looking for sold the cheapest eggs, and Sasuke was nothing if not a cheapskate, considering he hadn’t been allowed to touch the Uchiha clan funds except for the amount his former guardian allowed him.

 

Sasuke was so relieved to be a genin. He’d never have that repulsive guardian “check on him” in the compound ever again.

 

Handing over the necessary amount of ryo, he tucked the carton of eggs under his arm and headed towards the next stall. The next thirty minutes passed in a monotonous routine, traveling from stall to stall, and Sasuke barely noticed as his load grew heavier. By the time Sasuke snapped out of his trance, he found himself at a place he had never intended to go.

 

He only had one item left on his shopping list. He hadn’t planned to go to this particular stall to buy his tomatoes, but somehow, Sasuke couldn’t make himself turn around.

 

His feet led him straight up to the stall, even though he (and his mother) hadn’t bought anything from it in more than six years.

 

Sasuke approached the vendor like any other buyer. The seller, old Yamoto-san, was busy debating the price of lettuce with another customer. With forced casualty, Sasuke began to inspect the tomatoes.

 

Yamato-san always had the best ones. Big and ripe and red. He had almost forgotten the quality of the tomatoes Yamoto-san sold, it had been so long. He’d always been so excited to buy them, though. When he was younger, about six-years-old, he would often impatiently tug his mother along, eager after a long shopping trip to buy his favorite food. Yamoto-san always greeted his mother with a smile. An unusual thing for a civilian to do. His mother had liked him and they’d always chat while Sasuke ran to the tomato crates to pick out the ones they would buy. It always made his mother laugh to see little Sasuke seriously inspect each one—

 

Tomato juice dripped over his fingers. Grimacing, Sasuke unclenched his hand to look down at the ruined fruit. Now he’d have to buy this one. Placing the tomato into a paper bag, he looked over the rest of them. He only needed four more. He peered back into the crate and carefully selected another, one of the best tomatoes in the box—

 

“I see you’re still as picky as ever, Uchiha-kun.”

 

...Sasuke really hadn’t thought this through. He dragged his eyes up towards the voice. Yamoto-san looked down at him, smiling. His eyes shone with some unnamed emotion. Probably pity. It was usually pity.

 

Sasuke shrugged.

 

“I have another box of fresher tomatoes, if you’d like to see them.”

 

Sasuke shook his head. He turned back to the box of tomatoes in front of him, feeling like a kunai was stuck in his throat. He thought he might have heard a sigh, but didn’t look up. He picked out a few more tomatoes, placing them in the paper bag. He counted out the ryo, including for the damaged tomato, and held the coins out for Yamoto-san.

 

As Yamoto-san accepted the coins, Sasuke glanced up again, unable to stop himself. Yamoto-san looked much older than when Sasuke had last seen him. Wrinkles creased his forehead as he counted out the coins, and lines framed his eyes and mouth. What used to be brown hair streaked with grey was now grey streaked with white, and Yamoto-san’s hands were shaky as he counted the ryo.

 

He’d die too, soon enough.

 

Yamoto-san looked up from the coins, catching Sasuke’s stare. Sasuke almost ducked his head again. His pride stopped him. Yamoto-san frowned. “Uchiha-kun, you only picked out four tomatoes. There is enough ryo here for five.”

 

“I picked out five tomatoes.”

 

Yamoto-san’s brows furrowed, but he didn’t pursue the subject. Sasuke turned away, stiffly taking a step towards the flowing crowd.

 

“Have a nice day, Uchiha-kun.”

 

Sasuke didn’t look back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The walk back to the compound was as long and horrible as ever. Upon arriving back at his home, he put the vegetables, rice, and meat away. It wouldn’t do for everything he bought to spoil, no matter how tired he was. Sasuke had learned after the first time he brought home groceries and left them on the counter. The house had smelled of spoiled milk and meat for weeks.

 

His next two things on the to do list were to train and turn in his report. Sasuke thought about heading back into the city again, thought about walking through the compound before once more being surrounded by people, and decided that training was more important.

 

His training session took up the rest of the morning and early afternoon.

 

Laps, aiming practice, taijutsu forms and jutsu were all easily completed. His stamina and strength training went smoothly, and Sasuke was exhausted but satisfied with the burn in his muscles that the exercise left him with. The last part of his training montage was a new addition from Team Seven’s first C-rank: tree walking. Sasuke strode over to the nearest sturdy tree and stared up into the branches. He hated to admit it, but he was not as proficient at this skill than he would like. Though his sensei had never bothered to point it out, Sasuke was very aware of the few but terrifying moments after the Wave mission when his control on his chakra flow had slipped.

 

Taking a few steps back, Sasuke breathed deeply, felt for his chakra, and ran towards the tree.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Sasuke knew it was time to end his training when his chakra levels had finally dipped to a little under half-empty.

 

It was an odd feeling, the draining of one’s chakra levels. Light chakra exhaustion always left him feeling as if his life had been drained out of him and he had physically aged over thirty years, turning halfway to a dried out husk.

 

Severe chakra exhaustion left him shaking and vulnerable, like a dry, dead leaf, battered about by even a gentle breeze. After the first few times, he never let his chakra levels drain below thirty percent.

 

Sasuke, the layer of sweat coating him already drying on his skin, headed inside the dark house to take a shower.

 

He couldn’t avoid it any longer. After showering, Sasuke would need to go to the mission desk to turn in his D-rank report.

 

Mustering the strength to walk through the compound more than once in one day was always taxing. Sasuke knew he would be able to do it though. He always did. All the same, standing on the hated dirt road never got any more bearable. At least, Sasuke thought dryly, it wasn’t red.

 

He stared blankly out into the trees and road ahead of him. If only he knew the flash-step technique, he could be through the compound in no time at all.

 

But his sensei hadn’t taught him the flash-step yet. He hadn’t really taught him much of anything yet, besides tree-wal—

 

Oh. An idea occurred to Sasuke. If Sasuke traveled through the trees instead of the road, he could almost completely avoid the ghosts altogether, as well as traveling at a much quicker pace.

 

Mission report in hand, he hopped out of the window and across the yard. He stared up at the first tree, a little apprehensively, before shaking his head and jumping. Sasuke’s feet stuck easily the trunk, though he had to fight to stay standing straight instead of bending over. Already he could feel his chakra—a crackling, shocking force—slowly trickle away. Sasuke ignored it. He had enough to make it out of the compound and still have enough chakra left over to not trigger an episode.

 

He arrived at the gates in what felt like minutes. Sasuke almost felt appreciative of Kakashi-sensei and his teaching. Almost.

 

Jumping down from the trees was simple, and strolling through the gates even more so. When Sasuke reached the main city, he noticed the shinobi hopping across roofs. He looked at the crowd of civilians on the street, and then at the nearly-empty roofs. One chakra-enforced leap was all it took to get onto the roof of the nearest building. He bounded from building to building, propelling himself with his ever-dwindling chakra. Other shinobi flickered in and out of his range of vision, some going so fast he could barely see them. A few leisurely bounced from one roof to the next. Sasuke ignored them, trying to figure out where the building for the mission desk was. Everything looked different in Konoha from the rooftops.

 

After over fifteen minutes of searching, Sasuke finally spotted the distinct red roof of the administration building. He entered the building and headed straight for one of the only available mission desks in the room, ignoring the other shinobi littering the area. But upon reaching only a few steps away from the mission desk, another shinobi rudely stepped in front of him, cutting Sasuke off. Sasuke spared a moment to give a heated glare at the shinobi’s back and turned to find another empty mission desk.

 

He almost didn’t notice them, at first. But he did, because it would have been impossible not to, with their bright hair colors and volume. A familiar voice, obnoxious and loud, reached him even from where he was standing. Sasuke got the sinking feeling that he had not managed to avoid his team today. On the other side of the room, standing together at one of the desks, were Naruto and Sakura.

 

Sasuke scowled. He glanced around to see if he could make a hasty retreat. He chanced another look at the two other genin and grimaced. They hadn’t spotted him yet—currently, Naruto was grinning full-force as he spoke to an unusually subdued Sakura. If either one of them even slightly turned their head, he would be noticed. Sasuke glanced down at the D-rank report in his hand. If he didn’t turn it in now, he would have to find time later to come to the mission desk, which would interfere with his schedule. He would have to take the risk. Sasuke approached a mission desk that was as far away from his teammates as possible.

 

“HEY, TEME!”

 

Sasuke barely held back a wince. Not only from the volume, but because Naruto had attracted the attention of every single shinobi in the building at once. He managed to regain his composure without showing any signs of his chagrin. Uchiha were always cool and collected in front of others, even if their teammates were idiots. Showing emotion felt like losing.

 

Naruto was heading towards him now, Sakura trailing timidly behind him. It was an odd thing for her to do. She hadn’t acted like that since sometime in their years in the academy.

 

“Sasuke-teme,” Naruto said again, upon reaching him, “Me and Sakura, we were thinkin’—”

 

“Sakura and I,” Sakura corrected gently. It came as a surprise. By now, Sasuke had grown accustomed to Sakura’s sharp and chiding tone.

 

“Yeah, Sakura and I were thinkin’ that we could go to Ichiraku’s later ‘cause—”

 

“Sasuke, I have something to tell you,” Sakura said abruptly, this time acting more like the Sakura he was familiar with. She flushed, then ducked her head.

 

Sasuke really didn’t want to know what she had to say. If it was anything like his many past experiences, it was probably related to her irritatingly obvious crush.

 

“I—I wanted to—”

 

Sasuke braced himself.

 

“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

 

What.

 

Sakura wrung her hands anxiously.

 

“I—I was a bad teammate yesterday, and I shouldn’t have said what I did and I’m such a horrible person—” She began to ramble.

 

 _What_. Sasuke’s brain was still refusing to function. Who was this foreign shinobi and what had they done with Sakura?

 

“Kai.”

 

“—And I’m really very—huh? Sasuke-kun?”

 

So it wasn’t a genjutsu then. It really was Sakura. Sasuke observed her critically. Her unbrushed pink hair hung in her face, and her clothing wasn’t very coordinated or “fashionable” like what she usually wore. The bandages wrapped around her ankles were sloppy and loose, and the small but obvious touch of make-up that usually adorned her face was missing.

 

Sakura really was having a bad day. Judging by the apology, she was still hung up about what she said the day before. Sasuke didn’t know why she felt bad. Nobody on their team actually liked being a part of it. It was only natural that she hated her team. After all, Sasuke hated their team too.

 

Sakura was blushing. Well, to be fair, Sasuke had been staring at her silently for the last thirty seconds or so. But if she got the wrong idea—again—Sasuke would probably need to do something drastic.

 

“Hello!”

 

Sasuke’s eyes shut in resignation. Naruto screeched. He whirled around to face their sensei. He glared up at their teacher, rudely pointing his finger in Kakashi-sensei’s face. “DON’T _DO_ THAT!”

 

“I see we’re all here to turn in our mission reports at the same time, like a _team_!” Kakashi chirped, ignoring Naruto’s incredulous mutters. Sasuke hated that falsely cheerful tone. It made the jounin sound like he was mocking them.

 

Knowing Kakashi-sensei, he probably was.

 

After Kakashi-sensei arrived, the team finally found a desk that wasn’t busy. Each of the team, one at a time, handed the report over to the chuunin sitting behind the desk. Sasuke could feel the amused gazes of the older shinobi in the room as they did so, and felt his face flush. Sasuke really _should_ have turned in his report earlier in the day.

 

The last item on his list completed. The day was not yet over.

 

Team Seven exited the building. Naruto had fallen quiet for once, and nobody else had seen fit to fill the awkward silence growing between them. Sasuke stared at the ground. Now that all the items of his checklist had been marked off, he wasn’t entirely sure what to do with himself. He supposed he could go to Ichiraku’s with Naruto, but the thought of eating salty ramen—and the thought of being stuck with Naruto and Sakura for yet another hour—made him cringe. No, he would return to the Uchiha compound and train some more. Any opportunity to get stronger was to be taken. Sasuke could not afford to slack off.

 

Sakura’s sudden words intruded on his thoughts.

 

“Kakashi-sensei,” Sakura said timidly. “I—I’m really sorr—”

 

Kakashi-sensei cut her off. “Oh my, look at the time! I’m late for a super secret mission to fight a boar. Training starts tomorrow morning at eight hundred hours! Behave while I’m gone, my little minions!”

 

Their teacher disappeared in a whirl of leaves. It reminded Sasuke of a boy with a bright smile and black curly hair. He shoved the memory back down.

 

“So, about Ichiraku’s,” Naruto started. “D’you think we can—”

 

Sasuke shook his head. “I’m going to go train.”

 

He had to improve. Even if his sensei decided to be useless today didn’t mean that Sasuke would sit around and do nothing.

 

“Oh…Well...We didn’t want you to come anyway!” Naruto stated firmly. “Right, Sakura-chan?”

 

Sasuke turned away, shoving his hands into his pockets and beginning the long walk toward home.

 

“Oh. Um, I can’t go today, Naruto-kun, but…maybe later?” Came Sakura’s voice from behind.

 

Naruto’s shock was almost palatable. “Wha— _really_?” 

 

“Ye—Yeah, of course…But—But not as a date, you got that?!” Sasuke heard Sakura say, sounding a bit more like her old self.

 

Naruto’s reply was muffled and indistinct, swallowed up in the crowd.

 

Sasuke kept walking.  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, don’t get the wrong idea about Naruto and Sakura, guys. This is NOT NaruSaku. This isn’t even SasuSaku—not really. It’s gen. So whatever pairing you’re “seeing,” assume and hope and pray all you want but it’s never actually gonna happen. Here at TSiB series we believe in plot over pairings! (And any “hints” you notice aren’t hints, TRUST ME.)
> 
> It’s funny. Kakashi-sensei only taught his students tree-walking, mostly, but its probably been the most helpful tool for both Naruto and Sasuke so far in this fic.
> 
> A Note About Sasuke’s Behavior:  
> Sasuke is a creature of emotion and habit and is incredibly goal-oriented. He was taught to be goal-oriented through the pressure to always meet certain standards by everyone he meets. Sasuke’s “purpose” or reason for living, is to complete the goals he sets for himself. He’s been conditioned to believe that he’ll only be happy once he reaches those goals, but then proceeds to strive for the next goal right after he’s reached the first one he’s set for himself. Also, his hatred and anger come from hurt, and his hurt comes from trusting and loving and naively letting himself be vulnerable to others. Sasuke refuses to bear his heart again to anyone after what happened to his family, and allows the hurt from Itachi’s betrayal to fester like a thorn in an infected wound. He also has yet to move on from the stage of anger in the process of grieving. Sasuke has a hard time letting things go, as he’s always trying to use every slight against him as a barrier to keep him from making the same decisions that got him in a situation that hurt him.


End file.
